Harshit Rana's hamstring injury, sustained during the third T20I against England at Trent Bridge, cut his comeback short as the right-arm quick was ruled out of the last two games and the subsequent ODI series.
Concerns have surfaced regarding Rana’s fitness protocol, as reports indicate the burly fast bowler gained weight during his knee surgery rehabilitation, which probably contributed to the latest injury.
According to sources, the 24-year-old was found to be "overweight" on his comeback for the T20I leg of the UK tour. He featured in just five T20Is – two versus Ireland and three against England – before breaking down again.
"Rana reported a sudden onset of discomfort in his right hamstring during the third T20I against England at Trent Bridge. Subsequent scans revealed a Grade 1 hamstring injury," the BCCI’s released had stated regarding his injury.
For the team management and selectors, the worrying factor must be why Harshit Rana added extra kilos during his rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence.
"Harshit is a very important member of this team going into the 2027 World Cup. He is being looked at as a potential number eight batter along with his 140 click average speed. But he has to be mindful about his fitness routine," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
"Recently, when he joined the team he was found to be overweight. For someone, who bowls fast, if that player is found to be overweight then obviously the load on the body can lead to hamstring tear," the source further said.
Rana's fresh injury clearly suggests that while he obtained fitness certificate after successful completion of his rehabilitation programme, he compromised on weight management which can be a tricky issue during extended injury lay-offs.
During the bowling delivery stride and load-up phase, a fast bowler experiences braking forces of up to 6 to 8 times their body weight.
Extra kilograms significantly increase these ground-reaction forces, putting the hamstring muscles under severe tension during the front-foot plant and release.
(With PTI Inputs)
